forward at a decent pace,” Cole said. He noted that in implementing new technology, “there
are going to be bumps and some learning experienc- es along the way. You want to make sure you’re doing what’s best for your district.” It can be “crippling” when a transportation director
leaves a job and leaves the team in the dark about where the district is at with respect to the technology roadmap, said Cole. “The industry could do a better job in making sure
everybody, whether you’re starting, you’re going to be there your whole career or are at the end of your career, is building a good technology roadmap and acknowl- edge where you’re at on that timeline,” he added. “Here’s what we use for routing. Here’s what we use for telemat- ics. Here’s where we want to be. Here’s a problem. “That transfer of knowledge is still challenging,” he
continued. “When someone leaves the district, it’s like a void. They’re left to pick up a lot of the pieces.” Meanwhile, Union County Public Schools in North
Carolina transports 20,000 students using 210 buses covering 640 square miles. “The driving factors for adoption of technology is an ob-
ligation to our school community to provide the very best service possible,” noted G. Scott Denton, director of trans-
portation. “The pandemic and a lack of school bus drivers has changed the playing field. Utilization of technology provides the equipment and results to stay in the game.” Denton explained that the combination of Edulog’s
routing system with Samsara GPS provided his district with the best opportunity to be successful. Implementa- tion began in the spring of 2022 with most phases rolled out in August 2022. Refinements continued throughout the fall with full implementation in the spring of 2023. “The solutions are user-friendly for schools, parents, mechanical and operations staff and provide the gran- ular detail needed for us to quickly serve our public,” Denton added. Denton said that implementing technology solutions
“sometimes can be like flying a plane while you are building it. Figuring out how the hardware and software complement your organization is the key to successful implementation,” he said. “Everything can’t be anticipat- ed, so some growing pains can be expected.” The technology is performing well to date, he added.
“Parents absolutely love and utilize the parent portal app,” said Denton, adding the district no longer prints bus passes, which saves paper and has created a more timely and efficient operation. “Schools rely on Edulog’s WebSchool Assistant when
60 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2023
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